Volume 14, Number 1, Spring 2019

Young African American Adults with Aphasia: A Case Series

AUTHOR(S):

• Charles Ellis, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
• Robert Mayo, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA 

ABSTRACT

Little is known about African Americans with aphasia. Virtually no studies have examined the impact of aphasia in young adult African Americans, even though stroke, the most common cause of aphasia, occurs far more frequently in African Americans at younger ages than other racial-ethnic groups. Aphasia occurring at younger non-traditional ages has substantial implications for survivors’ quality of life, friendships and family-caregiver relationships. The objective of this case series report is to explore the impact of aphasia in African Americans with onset of aphasia before the age of 65. The observations of the cases will be discussed in the broader aphasia literature while also considering unique implications for African Americans.

DOI:

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